Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 128,920 Shares of Southwest Airlines Co. $LUV

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 856,010 shares of the airline’s stock after buying an additional 128,920 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Southwest Airlines were worth $27,315,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in shares of Southwest Airlines by 1.4% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 24,857 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $806,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Southwest Airlines by 2.4% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 14,285 shares of the airline’s stock valued at $456,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 10,791 shares of the airline’s stock worth $344,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Southwest Airlines by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 3,545 shares of the airline’s stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Southwest Airlines by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,547 shares of the airline’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Southwest Airlines

Here are the key news stories impacting Southwest Airlines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target on LUV to $35 from $27 (but kept a Sell rating), a small upbeat signal that some firms see more value than before. Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) Target Increased to $35 at Redburn
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies cut its price target to $41 from $48 and moved to a Hold — the lower target trims upside but still implies modest upside vs. the current price, so this is a mixed signal for traders. Jefferies Lowers LUV Price Target to $41
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and price‑prediction roundups note that LUV is up ~30% over the past year but down sharply in the last month — useful context but not a direct catalyst. Southwest Price Prediction: What Wall Street Thinks LUV Is Worth in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Rising jet‑fuel concerns tied to the U.S.–Iran conflict and related supply disruptions are pressuring airline margins; higher fuel expectations are a clear near‑term earnings headwind for Southwest and the group. Why Is Southwest Airlines Stock Sliding Thursday?
• Negative Sentiment: Industry operational risks — TSA slowdowns at busy airports and reports of material added fuel costs for U.S. carriers — add execution risk and potential margin pressure. US airlines hit turbulence with TSA delays, fuel cost pressures
• Negative Sentiment: Other brokers (e.g., TD Cowen) have trimmed expectations, and the stream of downward revisions and cautious notes is amplifying selling pressure. TD Cowen Has Lowered Expectations for Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Stock Down 7.7%

LUV opened at $38.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Southwest Airlines Co. has a 1-year low of $23.82 and a 1-year high of $55.11. The company has a market capitalization of $18.97 billion, a PE ratio of 45.97, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.62.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The airline reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $7.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.51 billion. Southwest Airlines had a net margin of 1.57% and a return on equity of 6.18%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. Southwest Airlines has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.000- EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.450- EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Airlines Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. Southwest Airlines’s payout ratio is currently 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LUV has been the subject of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Southwest Airlines from $44.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Southwest Airlines in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Seaport Research Partners boosted their price target on Southwest Airlines from $57.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $66.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.34.

About Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co is a U.S.-based low-cost carrier that operates a point-to-point domestic and near-international airline network. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company primarily flies Boeing 737 aircraft and offers no-frills, single-class service designed to keep fares competitive. Southwest’s operating model emphasizes high aircraft utilization, quick turnaround times and an open seating policy, allowing customers to board and select seats on a first-come, first-served basis.

Founded in 1967 by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King as Air Southwest Company, Southwest began commercial service in 1971, initially connecting Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.